


They say before you start a war you better know what you’re fighting for

by Toomanyfandoms99



Series: (No Longer A) Secret Marriage [37]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Greek Mythology - Freeform, M/M, Mythology - Freeform, Secret Marriage, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-14 00:46:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16029506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toomanyfandoms99/pseuds/Toomanyfandoms99
Summary: Castiel thought the legacy of Hades was gone from him completely.But when he saw a pack of ten hungry werewolves, Cas felt a tugging sensation in his mind.Could it be?





	They say before you start a war you better know what you’re fighting for

**Author's Note:**

> The title was taken from the iconic Destiel song “Angel with a Shotgun” by The Cab, also indicated with ellipsis. This is also my landmark 50th fanfic! Happy Destiel Day!!! Enjoy!

Mary stormed into Heaven’s prison, filled with so much rage that she could hardly contain it.

She reached John’s cell in a flash. John saw the fire in her eyes and approached the cell bars confusedly.

“Why didn’t you tell me,” Mary asked venomously, “you had another son?”

John looked like he was just struck with a lightning bolt, so caught off guard that Mary was secretly delighted with herself.

“Adam,” John said blankly, “has been dead for decades. I can’t even remember the last time I saw him.”

Mary gritted her teeth to get a grip. “We’ve been meeting here for weeks now, and you didn’t think to mention,” she clenched her jaw, “that you had another child?!”

John hung his head low. “There’s no excuse. There really isn’t.”

Mary deflated. She wanted to get even with him, but she didn’t have the right to do that. “I was with another man when I came back to life.” John looked up with surprise. She said bitterly, “I’m not proud of it in the slightest, but I guess neither of us are a model husband and wife.”

The silence festered for a moment.

John asked, “where does this leave us?”

Mary took a breath and thought. She still wanted to know more about Dean and Sam. Some of that information could only be provided by the father of her children. And while she did have the right to be angry, she was dead when John fathered Adam. She couldn’t gripe too much about moving on when Mary had done the same thing.

Mary replied, “don’t withhold anything from me. That’s our new rule.”

John nodded in agreement.

“I’ll see you in a few days.” Mary stalked off, remnants of her anger still tensing up her muscles.

————

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Dean said, grasping his mother’s shoulders and steadying her. She had just returned to her Heaven to find Dean and Castiel waiting for her. She was so livid that Dean had to wrap his arms around her. In their awkward embrace, — Cas watching on — Dean murmured, “calm down, Mom. Take a breath.”

Mary took a deep breath. After an extra few beats in Dean’s arms, she pulled away, the anger draining from her system. “Sorry about that.”

“What’s got my sweet-as-pie mom so angry?” Dean inquired.

Mary was far from sweet, but the remark soothed her. On her front porch, she looked up at her son and said, “Adam.”

If Dean weren’t dead, Mary was pretty sure the name would have sucked the very life out of him. His skin turned noticeably pale, almost ghost-like. He turned to his husband, Dean and Cas sharing a look. Then, Dean said to Mary, “John didn’t tell me or Sam either, until we-”

“Yeah, I got to that part.”

Cas’s eyebrows furrowed. Dean said, “I gave her the books.”

Cas couldn’t conceal his surprise. “You’ve accepted them?”

“You can’t get rid of ‘em.”

Castiel huffed out a laugh. “That’s good enough acceptance for me.”

Even when Mary had a swirl of emotions contained inside her, she would always smile at the sweetness Dean and Cas displayed with a single glance.

Dean addressed Mary. “I’m assuming you confronted him.”

Mary nodded, feeling a little ridiculous now that she had thought it through more. 

As if reading her mind, Dean said, “I don’t blame you at all. I hated him too after I found out.” A beat. “Want us to stay over for a while?”

“Yes.”

————

“We could have tried to extract him.”

Castiel sat next to Dean on the couch in their shared Heaven. Soda joined them, managing to lay between them. The dog rested his head on Dean’s lap.

“All this time,” Dean mused, “we could have tried.”

“The risk was always too great,” Cas reminded him. “Getting Adam out would have resulted in our Michael getting out.”

Dean sighed. “You’re right. I can’t help but feel guilty, though.”

Castiel stretched out his arm — Soda watching curiously — and grasped Dean’s hand. “We’re in Heaven. This is not a place for negative emotions.”

As if agreeing with Cas, Soda looked up at the couple, his tongue lolling out of his mouth and his eyes winsome. 

Dean couldn’t help but smile and pet Soda’s fur. “Okay, boys. What’s done is done. I get it.”

Cas placed a kiss on Soda’s head. “Thanks, bud.”

Soda wagged his tail.

————

...I’m an angel with a shotgun, shotgun, shotgun. An angel with a shotgun, shotgun, shotgun...

Dean had gone to check on Mary again, which left Castiel to his own devices. He went to the music cube in Heaven, which contained every song ever composed on Earth. Cas found this song title and decided to play it.

...Get out your guns, battle’s begun. Are you a saint, or a sinner? If love’s a fight, than I shall die with my heart on a trigger. They say before you start a war you better know what you’re fighting for. Well baby, you are all that I adore...

How had Cas not heard this song before? It might as well be made for him.

...If love is what you need, a soldier I will be. I’m an angel with a shotgun, fighting ‘til the war’s won. I don’t care if heaven won’t take me back. I’ll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe. Don’t you know you’re everything I have? And I, wanna live, not just survive, tonight…

This was eerie. Does this band know Castiel’s story? This was quite a coincidence.

...Sometimes to win, you’ve got to sin. Don’t mean I’m not a believer. And major Tom, will sing along. Yeah, they still say I’m a dreamer. They say before you start a war you better know what you’re fighting for. Well baby, you are all that I adore. If love is what you need, a soldier I will be…

Cas would have to play this song for Dean sometime. It was crafted for him, for them. 

...I’m an angel with a shotgun, fighting ‘til the war’s won. I don’t care if heaven won’t take me back. I’ll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe. Don’t you know you’re everything I have? And I, wanna live, not just survive, tonight...

Cas committed the lyrics to memory as he heard them. He wanted to remember what he’d done to get here, what he had sacrificed in the name of Dean Winchester, a name that once made monsters quiver in fear. He wanted to remember the anguish and happiness he felt as he fought in the name of love, in the name of the greater good, in the name of peace.

...I’m an angel with a shotgun, fighting ‘til the war’s won. I don’t care if heaven won’t take me back. I’m an angel with a shotgun, fighting ‘til the war’s won. I don’t care if heaven won’t take me back. I’ll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe. Don’t you know you’re everything I have? I’m an angel with a shotgun. And I, want to live, not just survive, tonight. Live, not just survive…

This song really brought Castiel back in time. It brought back old feelings and regrets, while bolstering Cas’s decision-making process. Castiel Winchester knew, without a doubt, that he had made the right choices, even if they were a little messy.

...And I’m gonna hide, hide, hide my wings tonight. They say before you start a war you better know what you’re fighting for. Well baby, you are all that I adore. If love is what you need, a soldier I will be...

Cas turned off the song, thinking to himself for a moment.

————

Dean and Castiel rushed into Balthazar’s office to find the archangel himself and Jack waiting for their arrival.

Balthazar and Jack had been searching every dimension with a fine tooth comb for weeks. They were looking for the final monster that escaped from Hell’s temporary rift. It was an anomaly that had repercussions even months later. 

Or however long Dean and Cas had been in Heaven. Time was strange here.

Balthazar said to the couple, “the final monster is Lycaon.”

Castiel dropped into a chair like he was a lead weight. “Fuck.”

Dean raised an eyebrow in surprise. His husband didn’t swear often, especially with such feeling and finality. He sat next to Cas and asked Balthazar, “is that the first werewolf?”

“Yeah,” Balthazar replied.

“What’s with the reaction, then? It’s just a powerful werewolf.” Dean looked at Cas as he said the previous statement, expecting an answer from him.

Castiel obliged. “The only person he was on good terms with was Hermes.”

“Gabriel,” Dean clarified.

“Without Gabe,” Cas sighed, “anything could happen here.”

“I see the problem.” Dean frowned and looked at Balthazar. “I’m assuming we have more to deal with than just Lycaon.”

Jack said, “he’s turned enough people to create multiple packs of werewolves.”

“We’ve already wasted too much time,” Balthazar said. “Thirty werewolves in total, all lead by Lycaon. He’s going to come for us sooner or later, looking for Hermes.”

“Who he won’t find,” Dean added. “I see.”

“He’s going to have no mercy,” Cas muttered. “This should be fun.”

“We’re making enough silver to cover the entire state of California,” Balthazar said. “We should be able to handle this.”

“I’ll take the first silver blade you make,” Castiel said, Balthazar nodding in assent. “We have to arm up starting now.”

“I’m glad you agree,” Balthazar said.

————

…Get out your guns, battle’s begun. Are you a saint, or a sinner? If love’s a fight, than I shall die with my heart on a trigger…

Castiel showered quickly, humming to the song in his head. He was so nervous about what was to come that he couldn’t concentrate on menial tasks for very long. He washed his body and went to his hair.

...They say before you start a war you better know what you’re fighting for. Well baby, you are all that I adore…

Cas rubbed in his shampoo, singing the lyrics in the back of his throat. He washed out the shampoo, swaying to the beat in his head.

...If love is what you need, a soldier I will be. I’m an angel with a shotgun fighting ‘til the war’s won. I don’t care if heaven won’t take me back. I’ll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe. Don’t you know you’re everything I have?...

Castiel turned off the shower, drying himself quickly. He only got halfway through the song, but he had other things on his mind. He wrapped a towel around his waist and pulled back the curtain.

Dean needed to stop doing this to him, honestly.

Dean leaned against the opposite wall, a gray robe barely covering his body. Cas was hit with a burst of desire, reminded of making love the night before.

They had sex way too much.

Cas raked his eyes over Dean’s bare feet and bow legs, the robe fabric at his knees, the robe tied around his waist haphazardly, the sliver of exposed skin at Dean’s chest, the broad shoulders that barely kept the robe in place, the dazed expression on Dean’s freckled face, his eyes half-lidded and hazy from sleep.

A side of Dean’s mouth quirked upwards. “What song was that, darlin’?”

Castiel swayed his hips a little as he walked, standing in front of the sink and mirror. “I found it in the music library. The title intrigued me.” He squeezed some hair gel into his hand, rubbing it through his hair without overworking it.

Dean wrapped his arms around Cas’s waist from behind. He rested his chin on Cas’s shoulder while Cas’s other hand fixed his hair. “And the title is?”

“Angel with a shotgun.”

Dean’s grin through the mirror blinded Castiel with its brilliance. “Are you serious?”

“That’s the title, yeah.”

Dean chuckled, pressing a kiss into Cas’s jawline. “That’s incredible. It was made just for you, darlin’.”

Cas reached for a comb and ran it through his hair a few times. “The lyrics really are uncanny. It might as well be named after me. You know, like those songs guys write about girls with their name in the title.”

Dean rattled off examples. “Sweet Caroline, My Sharona, Billie Jean.” He stared at Cas through the mirror. “I got it.” Dean traced shapes along Cas’s bare stomach. “I’d like to hear it sometime.”

“I’ll keep it in mind,” Cas murmured, putting down the comb and examining himself critically in the mirror. His hair wasn’t cooperating today.

“You look beautiful, as always, my loving and perfect husband,” Dean said reassuringly, making them sway in a strange sort of dance. He fixed a strand of hair on Cas’s forehead and pressed a kiss to Cas’s cheek. “Now put some clothes on before I get any ideas.”

Castiel laughed, making his hips sway as he left the bathroom. He knew how Dean watched.

————

Dean and Castiel decided to visit Bobby, Ellen, Jody, and Donna’s Heavens.

They updated the women and Bobby on the whole John situation, as well as what they’ve been going through. They all promised they would help in any way they could.

After all, Heaven could get boring sometimes.

————

“John.”

“Dean.”

Dean really didn’t want to come see John, but according to Mary, his father had been begging for a visit.

“So what is it?” Dean asked gruffly. “What’s the deal?”

“You haven’t come to see me in weeks,” John said. “I want to know how you are.”

Dean sucked on his bottom lip, then released it. John had never expressed such a statement before. “Okay.”

“I’m serious. I care about you.”

Dean had a hard time believing John, even with his father’s eyes piercing through him. “Okay. Fine.”

Dean was still afraid to open up to his father. John was listening, really listening to everyone, but Dean was apprehensive. Did he really want John back in his life completely?

He wasn’t sure.

“I wanted to check in,” John said. “How are you?”

“Fine.” Dean could be better, if he was being honest. This was Heaven, but monsters of Hell looming in the shadows could jump out to wreck things at any moment.

John seemed to read something in Dean. “You never told me what the deal was with those demons that broke in here.”

Ah, yes. How could Dean forget? A pack of demons breaking into Heaven’s prison didn’t happen every day.

Dean decided to give John tidbits of information. “They came through the rift when you did. There’s still more monsters out there.”

“So that’s what you’ve been doing.”

“Yes.”

“You’ve been killing them?”

Dean actually saw a flicker of fear in John’s eyes. Did John think Dean would kill him?

Dean replied, “yes. They’re more dangerous than you.”

John came out and asked it. “Are you going to kill me?”

Dean felt a surge of power dominate his insides. Usually, his father had all the cards. Now, Dean had them.

He beat down the feeling. This was his father, for Christ’s sake.

“If you behave,” Dean answered, “it won’t come to that.”

John recognized the shift in power for what it was. “I didn’t think it would ever come to this.” He glanced down at the ground and back up to Dean, wearing a regretful expression. “I’ve had a lot of time to think in here. Go over things that I’ve done to you and your brother.” He huffed out, “I really was a shitty father, wasn’t I?”

Dean swallowed thickly, hating himself for his watery eyes. John took it as a yes.

“I wish I had an excuse,” John said, “but I don’t. I wanna change. I really do.”

Dean detected genuineness in his father. It startled him more than it should.

“I want to redeem myself,” John stated. “And I’m going to start by saying,” he looked into Dean’s eyes, “I’m sorry.”

Dean pursed his lips, emotions springing up to the surface. He wouldn’t cry in front of John. Nope. No way. It wasn’t happening.

Dean thought of Cas’s heart-stopping grin, the sparks Dean felt whenever Cas sent him a loving look, how perfect Dean felt every time Cas touched him.

His tears retracted before they could fall. Dean got a grip on himself again before he could do or say something stupid. He said, “okay. Decent start. Anything else?”

A blaring alarm cut them off.

Dean heard Cas’s boots move briskly across the concrete floor. Dean caught Cas halt in the corner of his eye.

Dean stood up and said to John, “I’ll see you.”

“Wait.” Dean looked at John before he could leave. “Be careful.”

Dean nearly reeled back in shock. He wasn’t used to this concern directed towards him. He nodded and went to his husband’s side.

Cas said, “werewolves are here.”

————

Castiel thought the legacy of Hades was gone from him completely.

But when he saw a pack of ten hungry werewolves, Cas felt a tugging sensation in his mind.

Could it be?

Castiel hid in the trenches that Balthazar and Jack created in an open field. Dean furrowed his eyebrows and knelt across from him. “What is it, Cas?”

“I feel,” Cas murmured, touching his temple, “Hades.”

Dean’s eyes widened. “How is that possible?”

“I don’t know,” Cas said in a hushed tone. “Give me a minute.”

Dean dug his fingers into Cas’s hair and swiped his thumbs over Cas’s cheekbones. He nodded in acceptance, then stood up. Castiel tried not to sigh at the sudden lack of warmth that Dean’s hand provided being taken away so abruptly.

While Dean explained to Balthazar and Jack, Cas shut his eyes. He rendered his mind blank, cutting himself off from all of his exterior senses. Taste, touch, smell, hearing, sight.

Castiel saw blackness. A strip of glittering darkness, like a missing piece of a cloak, floated behind his eyelids.

Hades. Holy shit.

Cas thought he was gone. He really did.

What could have caused this?

Right after asking himself the question, Castiel knew the answer.

Dean.

When one of Hell’s monsters threatened Heaven’s headquarters, Cas taught Dean how to get in touch with Persephone.

Cas’s old friend Aphrodite had been right. Dean was the unknowing legacy of Persephone. Dean had revived that part of himself and used it to trap and kill the monster.

Perhaps Persephone’s awakening had triggered something else.

Hades’s awakening.

It made sense. Perfect and plausible sense.

Castiel focused on the strip of blackness in his mind, and he became a spectator in his own memory.

It was an old memory, after the war to end all monsters was over. Dean and Cas had just bought a cabin. The first night they moved into the cabin, Dean waited for the full moon to rise. Then, he jumped into the lake while wearing swim trunks that were too skimpy for a middle-aged man to wear.

In contrast, Castiel simply sat on the low dock and dipped in his feet. The water temperature was a bit too cold for him at this time of night. He focused on the full moon’s light reflecting on the lake surface.

Dean emerged from his underwater dive a foot away from Cas. It nearly scared Cas half to death, but he concealed his shock well. 

Dean’s skin looked strange in the moonlight. Cas wasn’t sure if he liked it or not. Dean always looked better in the sunlight, anyway.

Dean’s grin remained bright in the moonlit darkness, droplets of water glowing in his blonde hair. His gaze was playful as he drawled, “get in here, darlin’.”

“It’s cold,” Cas protested.

“I’ll make you warm.”

Castiel snickered and rolled his eyes. “Try again.”

“C’mon, gorgeous.” Dean pouted. “Get in here.” He swam up to Cas’s thighs, trailing his hand up Cas’s swim trunks. “Please?”

As usual, Cas acquiesced and slipped into the lake. Just as Cas registered a shock of coldness envelop his skin, Dean entrapped him in his arms.

Dean was keeping him warm, just as he promised.

Castiel wrapped his arms around Dean’s neck, Dean lifting him a head higher. Cas tilted his head down to peck Dean’s cold chlorine lips. Cas felt Dean’s hands hold him in place. 

“Feel alright? Not too cold?” Dean asked considerately.

Cas shook his head, biting his lip. “Your lips are cold.” He offered boldly, “I can help with that, if you like.”

Dean chuckled. “I bet you could.” His smile grew soft, Castiel deciding that he likes seeing Dean in the moonlight. Dean lifted a hand from the water, still keeping his grip on Cas, and pressed his palm on Cas’s cheek. “I wish you could see yourself,” Dean breathed. “You look beautiful right now. It’s like,” Dean paused, as if unsure, but continued, “you’re the moon itself. Luminescent. Made from it.”

Cas raised an eyebrow, unamused. “Are you saying I’m made from space dust?” Dean chuckled, knowing how ridiculous it sounded. Castiel lowered himself into the water a few inches, his body adjusting to the temperature, until he was level with Dean. “I understand what you’re trying to say. I think.” Dean’s hands travelled underwater again, pressing against the small of Cas’s back. “Artemis said once that,” Castiel inhaled, “we’re like the sun and moon. Not always the same. We can switch, she said. But I suppose,” Cas leaned a tad closer, “that makes me the moon tonight.”

Castiel saw the tail end of Dean’s smile before the memory ended abruptly.

He knew that it ended with a make out session in the lake, anyway.

Cas was returned to the darkness of his mind. He knew what Hades was trying to convey. First, that Hades had always remained with him, even if only a speck of dust, a grain of sand, a pinch of ash. Second, that Hades was only able to resurface now due to the presence of Persephone within Dean. Third, the unbreakable and eternal connection between Dean and Castiel Winchester was the only reason Hades was here.

Hades had sensed Persephone, his love, awaken all those weeks ago, and had been gathering the strength to resurface.

Now that he had, Hades was ready.

Castiel opened his eyes, his senses returning to him.

The battle had already begun. He could hear it from afar.

A familiar body encapsulated him tightly, murmuring Enochian phrases into his temple. Cas muttered, “Dean,” the former hunter’s curious eyes meeting Cas’s.

Dean cupped Cas’s cheeks in his hands, as if he might turn to dust at any moment. He searched Cas’s expression frantically. “You okay, Cas?”

“Hades is here,” Castiel said weakly. 

Dean’s eyes widened. “How?”

“He’s ready to take over,” Cas wheezed. “How long have I been out?”

“Five minutes,” Dean said. “Balthazar and Jack and the other angels took out five werewolves already. And by the looks of things,” Dean glanced over the trench, “another wave of ‘em will be coming soon.”

Lycaon was coming at them full force.

Castiel looked down and noticed Dean had a gun resting on his crouched thigh.

He had been protecting Cas completely by himself, allowing Cas this precious time to search for Hades.

“Okay,” Cas said, “should I switch over?”

“Only if you want to,” Dean said. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Cas was reminded of the silver blade Balthazar had gifted to him — as promised — in his trench coat. Castiel nodded to Dean and let the power of Hades run through him.

————

Balthazar was taken aback when Dean and Castiel charged into the brunt of the fight.

He ripped the throat out of a werewolf and stabbed its heart with a silver blade almost absentmindedly.

He perched on a tree branch, his wings dangling in midair as he caught his breath. He saw Jack shoot a werewolf between the eyes, then focused on Dean and Cas.

Another ten werewolves appeared in the open field, looking especially ferocious and terrifying.

Balthazar observed his favorite married couple charge, and realized that something was different about Castiel.

A streak of darkness skated around each of Cas’s hands, his eyes glistening with ash.

Hades.

Whoa.

Castiel ordered his strips of darkness forward, which immediately pierced through a werewolf’s head like a double gunshot. Cas called a silver blade into his hand, throwing it Gabriel-style into a howling werewolf’s agape mouth. It pierced through the werewolf’s throat, its screams dying as quickly as they were formed.

Good God, this was amazing to watch. Gruesome, but amazing. Balthazar wanted to materialize a bag of popcorn, which he was sure Gabriel would do in this situation.

Balthazar turned his attention to Dean, who was already shooting at his third werewolf. A silver bullet went right in the creature’s eye, killing it with a whimper. Dean reloaded his gun while Cas covered him, the couple in complete synchronization without even speaking or looking at each other.

Those two needed to stop being so perfect, honestly. It made Balthazar want to vomit.

The third and final wave of werewolves arrived.

This meant that Lycaon was around here somewhere.

Balthazar ruffled his bronze wings in preparation. He stood up on the tree branch and brushed his clothes off. He took stock of his weapons and, satisfied, flew away to search for Lycaon.

————

When the last of the werewolves arrived, Castiel had an idea.

He turned to a — not terribly — wounded Dean, who was catching his breath. The next round of werewolves would be upon them soon.

Cas met Dean’s eyes and spoke in his deeper Hades timbre. “Turn into Persephone.”

Dean raised an eyebrow at the change in his voice. His mouth quirked upwards. “Will I get a voice change too, darlin’?”

“It’ll be softer, I imagine,” Cas said. “You’ve got thirty seconds to decide, Dean.”

He closed his eyes, Cas preparing to protect his husband.

He didn’t have to.

Ten seconds later, Dean’s eyes were the color of spring greenery.

Green to match Cas’s gray.

Castiel half-smiled. “Are you ready Persephone?”

Dean replied softly, “yes, Hades.”

————

Jack was in awe.

His parents, the human and the seraphim that raised him, were far more powerful than he thought.

Hades and Persephone. Castiel and Dean Winchester. Two sides of the same coin.

He shouldn’t have expected any less.

Jack leveled his pistol towards a werewolf, shooting it between the eyes as it bared its teeth. He stretched out his white wings and hovered in midair. He shot werewolves from above, knowing none of them could jump high enough to catch him.

Jack saw a portion of the grass transform into a field of vines, Dean’s eyes glowing serpent green in the dusk. Dean commanded the vines to grip the werewolves’ legs and root them in place. The angry werewolves thrashed and growled, but escaping the vines was futile.

A werewolf leapt into the air, trying to snap at Jack’s feet. He scowled and aimed the barrel of his silver pistol towards the monster. His eyes glowed orange as he held the werewolf in place with his powers. He pulled the trigger twice, the werewolf dying with a whimper.

Jack saw Castiel commanding strips of darkness towards the werewolves Dean trapped in vines. The smoky strips transformed into poison darts, each of them hitting their intended targets.

Dean retracted the vines once the werewolves were surely dead. Castiel’s strips of blackness returned to his tan trench coat, resulting in the fabric containing threads of gray.

Jack surveyed the open field, littered with corpses, and realized Balthazar was gone.

The werewolf army was dead, but where was Lycaon?

Jack lowered himself back to the ground lightly. He tucked away his pistol and dashed over to his parents.

————

John’s cell door was left open.

Was this a test?

John pushed the door open slowly and warily.

No guards.

That alarm must have been signaling something really bad if angels left their posts.

He left his cell as quietly as he could. He saw no other prisoners in this section of Heaven’s prison.

Maybe he was the only one.

John walked around in a trance. Before he knew it, he was outside, the prison behind him now.

He could run.

But he wouldn’t. John wanted to stay.

It was dusk outside. An open field was a league away.

He heard gunshots.

John walked forward faster, the fact that he could get caught and punished far from his mind.

Dean was definitely over there. John knew that much about his eldest son. Dean always jumped into danger. He never cowered from it.

Just as John had taught him.

A trench encompassed the field, and it was unguarded. Everyone was forward more. John dropped into the trench, reminded of his days in the military.

He heard growls and yelps and whines.

Werewolves. They were fighting werewolves.

John didn’t have a weapon. He didn’t even know how to get one.

He hadn’t thought this through. He was so concerned for Dean that he forgot to think.

John rarely felt this paternal instinct he had heard so much about. It didn’t make sense that he felt it now. Dean was fucking grown, and twice as old as John in human years.

John peeked over the trench, and witnessed something insane.

First of all, Dean’s sort-of son — Jack, his mind supplied — was hovering in midair. His angel wings were the purest of whites, John puzzled as to how he could see them. Jack was shooting werewolves with a silver pistol. He was an expert shot, John noticed.

Like Dean.

Second of all, Castiel was using some sort of power John couldn’t name to subdue and kill werewolves. He watched strips of glittering fabric weave in the atmosphere and turn into darts. Castiel’s eyes and demeanor blended with the darkness, something terrifying and inhuman about him.

John still had his reservations about Castiel, but he was one hell of a fighter. John could respect that.

Third of all, Dean didn’t look human, either.

And it was freaking John out.

Dean’s eyes didn’t quite look like the green ones he knew so well. Dean’s demeanor was entirely different, too.

And Dean definitely couldn’t control plants to trap werewolves.

There was a story here. John wanted to know it, to understand. And the best way to do that is to leave before he got caught.

John left the trench and walked back the way he came. He locked himself back in his prison cell and sighed.

He would wait as long as it took to get answers.

————

Balthazar didn’t know how long he’d been fighting Lycaon. All he knew was he had to survive this. Dying was not an option anymore. His brothers were counting on him to lead Heaven through this temporarily-halted age of peace.

Lycaon was by far the strongest werewolf Balthazar had ever encountered. Despite the bleeding gashes littering Balthazar’s skin from Lycaon’s claws, the archangel knew he had to keep going.

His healing factor wasn’t working fast enough. This meant that Lycaon’s wouldn’t be either. 

This gave Balthazar an idea.

He spread his wings and flew to an unreachable height. Lycaon stared up at him with bright yellow eyes and bared teeth.

He could probably jump and snap at Balthazar’s feet, if the archangel stayed up there long enough.

Balthazar summoned a gun and a blade. A silver bullet grazed Lycaon’s side, as he intended. With a patch of bare skin exposed, Balthazar put the silver blade in his hand instead. While Lycaon recoiled from the grazed gunshot wound, Balthazar flew down and plunged the blade into the exposed skin. Lycaon howled in pain, Balthazar leaving the blade inside his skin. 

That would ensure Lycaon couldn’t heal the wound.

Balthazar materialized another blade and drove it underneath Lycaon’s chin. The sharp end jutted through Lycaon’s lower jaw. Balthazar watched the life drain out of the first werewolf’s eyes. He removed both blades from Lycaon, his body collapsing on the ground, motionless.

Balthazar laid on the grass and made his weapons disappear. He caught his breath and closed his eyes for a moment, calming his racing heart.

————

Dean, Castiel, and Jack found Balthazar lying on the grass, bloody and tired next to Lycaon’s dead body.

“Well,” Dean said, “this is quite a picture.”

Balthazar cracked his eyes open. “You’re all late. Obviously.”

Dean, Cas, and Jack powered down.

Cas chuckled, Hades retreating to the back of his mind. “Get up, Bali.”

Balthazar shot up like a rocket, eyes wide. “You’ve never called me by my nickname before.” The archangel grinned. “You must be really out of it.”

Castiel sighed. “I’m too tired to deny it right now. Let’s all just,” he gestured around randomly, “take a day and sleep.”

Dean grasped Cas’s hand, then asked Jack and Balthazar, “you two okay?”

“I’m not injured,” Jack replied.

“I’ll heal up in an hour or two,” Balthazar said.

“Okay,” Cas said, “we’ll see you soon.”

————

Dean and Castiel awoke at the exact same second. The first thing they saw was each other, lying on their sides in bed.

Dean smiled automatically. “Hey, darlin’.”

Cas responded in kind. “Hey, beautiful. Feel groggy at all?”

“Nope. You?”

“No.”

Dean showed his teeth. “Well how ‘bout that. It’s our lucky day.”

“Heaven is painless, Dean. Every day is our lucky day,” Cas reminded him.

Dean asked gruffly, “Hades doing okay?”

“Hades is okay as long as Persephone is okay.”

Dean’s eyes sparkled in delight. “Oh darlin’,” Dean’s Southern twang made a rare appearance, “you can be so sugary sweet.” He rested a hand on Cas’s cheek and brought himself forward, easing into a kiss.

“I’m going to puke all over this goddamn cabin one day.”

Castiel exhaled through his nose and parted from Dean regretfully. Then, Cas removed the pillow from underneath his head and tossed it at Balthazar. Hard.

Balthazar oof’d as the pillow smacked him square in the chest. He caught it and held it in his arms like a teddy bear. “It’s rude to launch projectiles. I’m keeping this.”

Castiel scowled and asked, “why in Father’s name are you here? Go away.”

“You’ve both been out like lights for over a day. We got shit to go over.”

The couple was shocked. To Balthazar, they looked absolutely comical.

Balthazar cleared his throat pointedly. “I’m gonna give you a few minutes and play fetch with Soda, then we gotta talk.” 

Balthazar dropped the pillow and shut their bedroom door, Dean and Cas left in silence.

Dean spoke first. “We missed an entire day?!”

“It’s over,” Castiel said, facing Dean. “It’s over now.” His smile was tentative. “At least there’s that.”

Dean matched Cas’s smile. “You’re right.” He pecked Cas’s lips. “There’s that.”

————

“So,” Balthazar began, “John.”

Dean sighed. “This isn’t fully my decision. But I know Mary and Bobby want him to stay.”

“And you?”

Dean stared at the steaming mug of tea on the table between them. “I don’t know. He still has to make a lot of changes, but I don’t see why I can’t talk to him occasionally.”

Balthazar glanced at Castiel, — who looked incredibly composed and regal, despite having been caught kissing Dean with every drop of sweetness he contained in his body moments earlier — then Soda lying between the married couple. Both were a silent support system for the former hunter. 

Balthazar suggested, “we can put him in a small house away from Heaven’s residents. You can all choose to visit him, but he’ll be trapped unless you take him somewhere.”

Dean perked up considerably at the option. Balthazar had thought about it for quite some time, and he thinks he can swing it. John may not belong in Heaven, but that didn’t mean Balthazar would toss him back into Hell. Balthazar wasn’t heartless, no matter what people believed him capable of doing.

“You’ve clearly thought about this,” Dean said. Cas leaned over and grasped Dean’s mug, settling it in his hands. “Thank you,” Dean murmured to Cas. 

Balthazar said, “I had a hunch you wouldn’t cast John away. You’re a good enough person not to do that.”

Dean took a sip of tea, and seemed to realize his hands were trembling. Castiel took the mug from him instead, Soda resting his head on Dean’s vacated lap to soothe him.

This dog was smarter than Balthazar thought.

Dean said, “I like the idea. I’ll ask what my mom and Bobby think about it.”

————

“Balthazar?”

Balthazar halted at the cabin door. “Yeah?”

Castiel asked, as if afraid of the answer, “is it all over now?”

Balthazar allowed himself to smile. “It is.”

————

Dean explained Balthazar’s proposal to Mary and Bobby.

They both agreed.

————

John was transported inside a house and freed from his chains the next day.

Dean said, “this is your home now. Like it?”

John observed his surroundings, a little in shock. He replied, “it’s good.”

Dean took a seat on the couch. “Here’s how this is gonna work.” John sat mechanically in an armchair and listened. “You’re being allowed to stay in Heaven. But there’s a catch. You can’t roam freely. You’re only allowed to go places we take you. And we’ll only visit you when we want to. Got it?”

John swallowed a lump in his throat. “That’s fair.”

Dean stood up abruptly. “Mom’ll come visit tomorrow. Get settled in.”

“Wait.” Dean halted. “Before you leave,” John said, “I have to ask you something. It’s going to sound strange.”

“Fine,” Dean allowed. 

“When was the last time,” John asked, “you were one hundred percent human?”

Dean didn’t find the question strange at all. John was just trying to understand.

Did he know about the bond that connected Dean and Cas’s souls? His dying and rotting in Hell? Dean’s inhuman powers? The Persephone situation?

Dean would have to tell him about those things at some point, if John was truly adamant on staying put. 

Dean would start by answering John’s question. “Two years after you died, I died.” John’s eyes widened. “That was the last time I was one hundred percent human.” Dean studied his father’s expression. Once upon a time, John would have shot Dean where he stood for making such a proclamation. John used to think there was only two sides: humans and monsters. There were no overlaps for John, but Dean found that he was a bit of both. Dean asked, “does that bother you?”

“Not if it’s my son,” John replied, carefully and with conviction.

Dean nodded, believing John, then took his leave.

————

The party Balthazar threw in honor of defeating Hell’s rift monsters was one for the ages.

————

Castiel played the song for Dean in the music library.

...If love’s a fight, than I shall die with my heart on a trigger…

Dean’s eyes widened at that tidbit. Only a few lines in, and Dean’s reactions were as wonderful as Cas imagined.

...They say before you start a war you better know what you’re fighting for. Well baby, you are all that I adore. If love is what you need, a soldier I will be…

Dean laid on the comfortable couch, hugging a pillow to his chest as he listened. Cas busied himself by rifling through song after song.

...I’m an angel with a shotgun, fighting ‘til the war’s won. I don’t care if heaven won’t take me back. I’ll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe. Don’t you know you’re everything I have? And I, wanna live, not just survive, tonight...

Castiel glanced over to see Dean’s eyes watering, a tear falling silently. This was not the reaction he was hoping for. Cas went to Dean’s side and turned the couch into a pull-out mattress. He mirrored Dean’s position lying on the couch, slipping the pillow out of Dean’s grip and tossing it to the side. Dean wrapped his arms around Cas’s middle instead. He buried his head in Cas’s chest and cried softly. Castiel rubbed Dean’s back in slow circles with one hand while he buried the other in Dean’s hair. Cas let the song play, only tuning in when it was near the end.

...And I’m gonna hide, hide, hide my wings tonight. They say before you start a war you better know what you’re fighting for. Well baby, you are all that I adore. If love is what you need, a soldier I will be...

The song finished, the room growing silent once more. 

Castiel waited a moment, then murmured to Dean, “if I had known you would have this reaction, I wouldn’t have played it.”

Dean sniffled, his face emerging from Cas’s chest. “You didn’t know.” Dean wiped tears with the back of his hand. “I overreacted. Sorry. It just, um,” Dean shook his head, “yeah.”

“Brought back memories?”

“Y-Yeah.” Dean sniffled again, his red-rimmed eyes and blotchy face in full view. 

Castiel thought he looked as beautiful as ever.

“I thought about those too,” Cas said. “But what’s done is done. And hey,” Cas wiped Dean’s tears away, “it’s all over now. We have forever to ourselves.”

Dean sniffled one final time. “We do, don’t we?” Dean’s grin brightened his face considerably. “Forever.”

Dean’s sudden happiness was contagious.

Castiel repeated that final word like a promise. “Forever.”

**Author's Note:**

> The final three are all longer fanfics, so posts may be once a week again. I’ll try to squeeze the next part in this weekend. Kudos and comments are appreciated!


End file.
